Life Saver
by Artistry201
Summary: Wow..I'm definitely not good with titles. My first fanfic! Mr. Fix is back and decides to get revenge. Read & find out! Rated T to be safe, a little bit of violence. Pepperony!
1. Chapter 1

**I do no own anything Iron Man related...I wish. It's just a story to enjoy!**

**Chapter One**

Tony stood outside with Pepper, waiting for Rhodey. "Where is that guy?" Tony asked impatiently.

"He's probably debating history with his teacher." Pepper scoffed.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Who would debate history? Only Rhodey...only Rhodey."

Pepper laughed hesitantly, spotting Rhodey coming out the front doors.

"I mean, seriously, what is there to debate?" Tony asked again, Pepper frantically pointed in the direction of Rhodey, coming up behind Tony. "Tony, shh!!" Pepper whispered. Tony's eyes widened and his lips formed a silent "Oh." as he turned in the direction of Rhodey.

"Oh hey Rhodey! How was history?" He said with a smile on his face. Rhodey rolled his eyes, "Why is it that every time I'm late, you guys assume it's history?" Tony and Pepper shrugged, "Because you like it so much..." Pepper tried.

Rhodey smirked, "Well, you were right. I was talking to the teacher about a paper we're supposed to write."

Tony's smile got bigger, "I knew it!" Rhodey punched Tony's shoulder, "Hey, you need to show us the new updates on the Iron M-uh...the suit. The suit." Rhodey caught himself, realizing he was speaking a little too loud. Tony and Pepper's eyes were wide, "That was a little bit close, don't you think?" Pepper laughed nervously, looking around.

"Ooh...great." Pepper had spotted someone, a certain girl with long blond hair and stiletto shoes. Tony felt the pressure of a hand on his shoulder, turning him in a different direction.

"Hey Tony." She smiled, catching him off guard. "Would you want to go grab a drink with me?" She asked him, knowing it would bother Pepper.

Pepper frowned, "Wait, but-"

Whitney cut her off, "So Tony, what do you say? We could hang out for awhile."

Pepper opened her mouth to speak, but Whitney sent a glare in her direction, Tony noticed the exchange and smiled nicely, "I'm sorry Whitney, but I can't. I promised to help Pepper with her homework."

Whitney forced a smile on her face, "Oh, that's all right. I'll catch you another time." Tony nodded, turning back to Pepper and Rhodey.

Whitney turned and started walking down the sidewalk, passing Pepper and whispering, "Have fun being his pet." She smirked. Pepper clenched her fists and fumed silently. Tony and Rhodey were talking quietly, they hadn't noticed the scene between Whitney and Pepper.

"Tony, I'm telling you, you've got to add a GPS chip to the suit so we can track you if you lose consciousness."

Tony sighed, "Rhodey, what if someone taps in to it and realizes they have a GPS signal on Iron Man? I don't really think that's such a good idea."

Rhodey seemed exasperated. "Well, how else are we going to find you?"

Tony pushed Rhodey aside, "I don't know, I'll come up with something. Can we just go to the armory and argue it there?"

Rhodey nodded, "Yeah, all right." Pepper was staring at the ground, trying to focus on anything else except Whitney's insults.

"You okay Pepper?" Tony asked, concerned, putting a hand on her shoulder. It snapped her out of her trance.

"What? Oh! Ya, of course. I'm fine." She lied smoothly. Tony frowned and was about to question her, but decided that it wasn't the right moment to do so. Tony nodded and gave her his winning smile, receiving a shy smile from her in return. They kept walking in silence, away from the school and toward the armory. Tony had fixed up the armory the best that he could with the help of Rhodey and Pepper. He had made some changes, and overall, it had taken at least two and half months to get it to the point where you could walk through it without fear of getting hit by falling debris, or tripping over a piece of scrap metal. It wasn't finished, but it was definitely getting closer and closer to its final product.

*Twenty minutes ago, in a warehouse on the other side of town...*

Mr. Fix sat in all his glory, hardware hookups, generators, and computer screens littered the area. He sat, staring at all of his machinery, the hard work that he had put in to moving from his last hide-out to another. He was almost done, just a few more things to plug in and reassemble, and then he was finished.

"I am not going to let Iron Man go so easily...he destroyed my work! Everything I had, ruined!" He ranted to himself. He completed the last few details and watched the monitors pick up different signals across town. Luckily, the private frequencies he had hacked were picked up again and drawn to the screens, showing different scenes playing out from different areas of town. He looked closely for anyone familiar, like maybe that FBI Agent Potts. He would be a good candidate to release some of his pent up fury on. He looked over his monitors, squinting as he tried to recognize someone, anyone.

"Now, who is this?" He pondered out loud to himself, adjusting the screen so he could see it better, zooming in on the subject, he let out a cry of triumph. "That's the boy, what was his name? Rhodey..." He finished, putting things together, "Rhodey and...what was her name? Pepper. They're friends." He watched as Rhodey walked away from the double doors of what looked to be a school and approached two people. Mr. Fix could not believe his luck.

"Well isn't that just perfect?" He sighed, content, Pepper Potts stood with another boy with dark hair and a red shirt, laughing and talking. Talking. "Why am I not getting audio?" He realized. He swiveled around on his chair, getting up and looking around for an unplugged cord, he finally found it wedged under a modem for one of his computers and plugged it in hastily.

He caught one of the most important parts of the entire conversation. "-need to show us the updates on the Iron M-uh...the suit. The suit." Rhodey had slipped, and Mr. Fix's eyes widened in surprise. "Iron Man...a.k.a., Tony Stark. That is some interesting and valuable information." Mr. Fix laughed wickedly, but kept listening and watching closely, recording the entire moment.

He watched the exchange between Whitney and Pepper, silently noting that both of them were important to Tony, the spectrum leaning a little more toward Pepper. Pepper was the key. The daughter of the man that had let slip his location and the friend of his arch nemesis, Iron Man. He could get back at both enemies with only one try.

"It's always easier to kill two birds with one stone. Gets the job done much, much faster." Mr. Fix chuckled to himself, then called for Whiplash.

* * *

**Well, I hope you liked it! I have more chapters coming! Click the little green button down there to review, thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

They sat in the armory in near-silence. A couple of words that were exchanged here and there didn't do much to break the ice. Pepper still remained quieter than usual, only looking up from her homework every so often to watch Tony and Rhodey making adjustments to the suit.

"Need any help over there with the homework yet?" Tony asked, his mind still busy processing the calculations he was running for the suit.

Pepper seemed startled, "Huh? Oh, ya...I'm stuck on number three." She said absently.

"Number three?! Pepper, it's been almost an hour since we got here, and you're on number three? You should have asked for my help sooner, you'd probably be done by now." Tony sighed, finally tearing his attention away from the suit to help Pepper.

"I'm sorry, my mind is elsewhere, I guess." Pepper shrugged her shoulders, and Tony eyed her suspiciously, remembering her same expression earlier that day, walking home from school.

"Pepper, did something happen? Did Whitney say anything to you?" Tony asked, genuinely concerned.

Pepper shook her head vigorously, "No, no, of course not. Why would she? I'm just Pepper, Pepper Potts! No reason to go out of her way to talk to me! She probably doesn't like me very much anyway, so it's all good. No, everything's fine!" She rambled continuously. She realized that her stream of spoken thoughts had just affirmed Tony's question.

"Pepper, what did she say to you?" Tony asked, leaning closer to her. Rhodey glanced up from his work and silently shifted toward the door.

"Well, that...she wanted to..." Pepper's lips pinched firmly together, forming a straight line, her eyes wandering everywhere except Tony's.

"Pepper." Tony stated, slightly impatient with her unwillingness to tell him. "You can tell me." He said firmly.

Pepper took a deep breath, shut her eyes, and blurted, "She glared at me, and called me your pet, again! I don't like her, I'm sorry, but sometimes I just can't stand her! And I know she likes you, and I don't know why it bothers me. She's trying to pull you away from us-from me-and it's driving me up the wall! I feel like you're totally oblivious about it, and I try to be nice to her so that you don't get mad at me for being rude, but sometimes I just want to strike back with a mean comment like she does to me all the time and see how she likes it!" Pepper finished, taking in some more oxygen, her lungs totally depleted from her quick rant. She turned her head away, afraid that she would find a disgusted look on Tony's face.

Tony only frowned, "She called you my pet? Again? She's just really trying to milk that one for what it's worth, isn't she?" He chuckled slightly, "And actually, I have noticed how rude she is to you, and I'm glad you haven't retaliated, because you're better than that, just don't let her get to you." He finished softly, Pepper's eyes slowly met his.

The corner of Pepper's lip quirked up into a slight smile. "Thanks Tony, that means a lot." Tony smiled in return.

"So, what is it that you need help with, then?" Tony asked kindly.

By now, Rhodey had vacated the premises, leaving Tony and Pepper alone to discuss things. He didn't feel like getting in the middle of someone else's drama at the moment. Instead, he decided it was better to work on some homework, especially his upcoming history paper.

After finally completing her math homework, Pepper packed up her stuff and headed for the door.

"You're leaving already?" Tony asked.

Pepper turned, surprised, "Oh, ya. Well, I'm finished with my math homework, so...I didn't think there was much else to do." She glanced at the clock, 8:10 p.m., it read. She had spent more than half the day here.

Tony nodded, "Oh, right. Of course, do you want me to walk you home?" He asked.

Pepper smiled, "That's very sweet of you, Tony, that would be nice." She waited by the door for Tony. He finished up what he was doing and followed Pepper out.

The walk felt shorter than usual, both of them chatting and laughing. The sky was slowly growing darker, the pollution in the air creating a red-orange glow in the sky. They stopped at Pepper's door, Tony propped himself against the doorframe and smiled at Pepper. "Thanks again, for helping me with my homework, Tony. I understand it a lot better now." She stepped forward and gave him a quick hug.

Tony hugged her back, "It was no problem, I'm glad I could help."

"And thank you for walking me home. I'll see you tomorrow?" Pepper asked, hoping that he wouldn't be skipping out on school or anything of that sort.

Tony smiled, "Of course, you're not thinking I would skip class now, would you?" He teased. "Hey, but if someone is in need of help, I just might have to use a bathroom pass." He chuckled.

"You probably hold the record for 'Longest time spent in the bathroom.' Just warn us before you head off on a mission or something important like that, so we're not wondering where you are." She petitioned.

Tony sighed, "All right, if you say so. Pepper Potts just can't seem to stay away from an adventure with Team Iron Man." Tony whispered as he came to the end of his sentence, being careful that no one was listening in on their conversation.

Pepper giggled, "Well of course I love to be involved!" She whispered loudly, she sighed and looked down for a moment, "I guess I should head up to bed now, it's getting a bit late." She seemed to be looking at a non-existent watch on her arm.

Tony sighed dramatically, "I can't keep a woman from her beauty sleep. Heaven forbid!" He gave her a winning smile and watched as she pulled out her house key and opened the door. Tony turned to go, stopped for a second, and looked back, "Good night, Pepper." He said quietly.

"Good night, Tony." She whispered, watching him turn to walk back home. She shut the door, leaning her back against it, eyes closed, and smiled.

"So...you didn't call to tell me how late you were going to be." A voice said from the doorway to the kitchen.

Pepper's eyes shot open, "Dad! You scared me! I thought you would be in bed already." She breathed, trying to recover from her surprise.

"Pepper, it's only 8:30." He said, puzzled at her outburst.

"Well...I thought you had an early morning or something. I guess I wasn't paying attention to the time, thought it was later than 8:30..." She trailed off. Her dad's eyebrow went up a quarter of an inch on his forehead.

"You thought it was later? Well, then all the more reason to have come home even earlier." He said with a slight smirk on his face. "What was it that you were doing, anyway? You're hanging out with that Stark kid a lot." He questioned.

Pepper rolled her eyes, "Dad, it's not JUST Tony that I hang out with, it's Rhodey too. And besides, Tony helped me with math today. He's a pretty good tutor, if he remembers to dumb it down for me." She added.

Her dad chuckled, "Ah, I see...Well, now that you're home, I'm going to get to bed, and you should do the same. You have school tomorrow, young lady." He teased. Pepper once again, rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I'll go to bed." She said, yawning. Even though it was only 8:30, it felt like it had been a long, tiring day. Maybe an early start to bed would be a good idea this time. She trudged her way up the stairs to her bedroom. She plopped herself down on the bed, not caring to change out of her dark skinny jeans **(A.N.-I know, I know! I love skinny jeans, though! What can I say?)** and light pink sweater top. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she dozed off into a light sleep, she slept like a baby for about an hour, waking promptly when her phone buzzed. Her head shot up, and she felt around for her phone until she found it by her pillow, she squinted her eyes from the glare and realized that she had gotten a message from Tony saying, "I'm still at the armory and I've picked up some weird activity going on a couple of blocks from your place, let me know if you notice anything. Be safe, good night." Pepper responded slowly, her fingers feeling for the buttons while her eyes drooped dangerously. "Thanks Tony, I'll let you know if I see anything suspicious. What kind of 'weird' was it? Any details?" A couple of minutes later she received a text, "Different witnesses called in reports of seeing something like long strands of glowing material that showed up every now and then." Pepper couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, she texted back, "Okay, thanks for letting me know. Good night, Tony." She yawned and put her phone next to her pillow, snuggling in to her blankets.

* * *

Mr. Fix watched as Tony and Pepper walked to the Potts' home. Waiting for the ideal moment to send Whiplash. He hadn't told Whiplash, or anyone else the identity of Iron Man quite yet, he wanted to wait for the opportune moment.

"Whiplash!" He called, waiting impatiently. Whiplash entered the room, a slight hiss coming from his direction. "I want you to leave for the Potts' house in approximately one hour and fifteen minutes."

Whiplash nodded his consent, "What about the other girl?" He hissed.

Mr. Fix clenched his teeth, "I sent some of my men to pick up the Stane girl and take her to the location. You don't need to be worrying about that part of the plan, I just want you to worry about your part." He sneered.

Whiplash shrugged, "Fine. So what do I do? Just knock the girl unconscious? Keep her awake?" He asked nonchalantly.

Mr. Fix thought for a moment, "Hit her hard enough so that she'll wake up after she's in place." He said thoughtfully.

Whiplash seemed exasperated, "I'll do my best..." He lashed out his whips, testing them, the long thread-like veins glowing in the darkness of the room. "I'm ready."

* * *

**Don Don Don!! What will happen next, you ask? Well...keep reading to find out! Oh, and I totally forgot that Whitney lost her memory! So...just ignore that episode, if you will.**


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter Three**

Whitney Stane sat in the penthouse that she and her father lived in, wondering what she could do to pass the time. It was only 8:00 p.m., leaving her with a couple of hours before her father got home. She sat and pondered the day's events.

"Stupid Pepper..." She grumbled. It's not that she hated Pepper, she just didn't like that Tony seemed to want to spend more time with Pepper than her. What was so great about her? What did Pepper have that she didn't? She had everything! Maybe that was the problem. Tony already had everything, and Pepper had close to nothing. Just a daughter of an FBI agent and a somewhat decent lifestyle.

Suddenly, there was a loud drilling noise coming from the hallway. "What in the world?" She whispered, tip-toeing to the source of the noise. She peeked through a crack in the door and saw a shadow out the window, cutting through the glass. "How on earth would anyone get up here?" She asked herself, realizing that she was the only one home, she ran to the kitchen for something to use to defend herself with, and hid herself in the pantry, waiting for the robbers to enter through the window. Her breathing was ragged, her adrenaline on full, her eyes and ears alert to the burglars. She had simply deduced that they were thieves. She and her father had plenty of expensive things that they could steal.

She heard one of them speak, "We have to find her, or he'll be angry." She was not expecting that. 'They want me?' She thought to herself, she quickly thought of how to escape, a way that she could get out without them realizing she had ever been there in the first place. Before she could do anything, the pantry door opened, revealing three tall, robust men wearing different assortments of guns and weapons. All she had was a large frying pan to defend herself. She swung her kitchen appliance at the first man's head. He hadn't expected that. He toppled over, sagging into one of the other men, she raised her arm to hit the third, but was stopped, his hand clamping down on her wrist. She felt her hand let go of the frying pan, realizing that she was without a weapon, she kicked and screamed.

"Let go of me!" She yelled consistently, "Leave me alone!" She screamed. She didn't think anyone would hear her, but she may as well try. The man wouldn't let her go, instead, another man came up behind her with a chemical cloth, covering her nose and mouth with it. She had been in the process of regaining her breath when he had shoved the cloth onto her face. She felt her world spinning, her legs became weak, and her shoulders began to slump.

"Help...me..." Was all she could get out before she sank into unconsciousness. The men gathered her up and took her out to their van, driving in the direction of the bay area.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pepper lay sleeping peacefully in her bed. Curled up under her blankets, she felt that she was safe and sound. A horrid and awful scratching noise woke her from her pleasant dreams. "Wha..?" She frowned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She slowly got up out of bed, reaching for her lamp, turning it on and grabbing her phone. She heard the scratching noise along with a metallic _klink_ after. "What is that noise?" She whispered to herself. She remembered her conversation with Tony and suddenly became wary of what was going on around her. She opened her door slightly, "Dad?" She whispered. No response. Closing her door, she looked down at her phone, noting that it was almost 11:00 p.m. She had only been sleeping for about two hours. Tony would still be awake. She dialed his number and waited.

"Hello?" He asked, Pepper breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tony, I'm sorry to bother you, but...I'm hearing some really weird noises." She said, trying to keep the fear from her voice.

She heard Tony suppress a laugh, "I'm sure everything is fine. I didn't hear any other reports of the weird glowing threadlike phenomenon."

Pepper's shoulders sagged, "Ya, you're right, I guess I'm just scaring myself for no reason." She laughed nervously. Pepper's ears perked up as she heard something metallic grating against the fire escape just outside her window.

"Uh...Tony...You might want to rethink that." She could see something glowing eerily through her window curtains.

Tony sat in the armory, frowning slightly. "Why's that?"

Pepper could see the shadow of a figure outlined by the light of her lamp through the curtains. "Because, what ever it was, is right outside my bedroom window..." She whispered as low as she possibly could, hoping that Tony could still hear her.

"Pepper, get out of there!" He practically yelled through the phone. Pepper turned toward her door, reaching for the knob. There was a loud crash as her window broke, showering glass all over the place. Pepper yelled in surprise, "AAHH!" She covered herself with her arms, shielding her face from the flying glass. She looked up to find Whiplash, standing on her glass covered carpet.

She brought the phone back to her ear, "Tony! It's Whipla-" Whiplash was quick enough to use his electrified whips to ensnare her wrist and pulled her toward him, her phone flying from her hand.

"Let go of me!" Her wrist seared with pain, "AAH!" She screamed for the second time that night. She kicked and retaliated the best that she could. Whiplash flung her around, slamming her up against the wall of her bedroom. Her head hit the wall with a solid _Whack! _Rendering her unconscious.

"Pepper? Pepper?! Are you all right?!" Came a cry from the hallway. Whiplash had almost forgotten about Pepper's father. Pepper lay on the floor, unmoving, her phone lay discarded on the floor. Whiplash bent over and picked her up, hoisting her over his shoulder, grabbing her phone from the floor as an afterthought, hearing her friend's desperate calls. Whiplash leapt through the window just as her bedroom door opened. He ran quickly, disappearing into the night.

"PEPPER!" Tony yelled through the phone, frantically pacing the armory. He heard some rattling and scraping. Then nothing but static. He called repeatedly, desperate to get ahold of her again. "Please be okay, please be okay. What was it she had said?" He thought back to her surprised words, "Tony, it's Whipla-" Of course!

"Why didn't I pay attention! It's Whiplash and Mr. Fix!" Anger boiled in him, coursing through his veins. "The weird glowing phenomenon must have been his electrified whips. I'm so stupid!" He cursed himself. "I need Rhodey." He grunted, leaving the armory and heading to the house. He burst through Rhodey's bedroom door.

"Rhodey!" Tony nearly screamed, startling him from his sleep. Rhodey practically fell out of bed.

"What?!" He yelled, "What could you possibly need at this hour?!" He fumed.

"Rhodey, Pepper's been kidnapped!" Tony was shaking, barely able to contain himself.

"What?! How did that happen? Wasn't she at the armory with you?" Rhodey asked.

"Well she left two and a half hours ago!" Tony retorted, "You're not trying to blame me, are you?!" Tony was livid.

"No! Man, come on, I'm just trying to get my bearings, I don't know what's going on! You haven't told me any details!" Rhodey defended himself.

Tony took a few deep breaths to calm himself, "Okay, all right. I'm sorry, just come with me to the armory." Tony turned and walked out of Rhodey's room, not waiting for him to follow.

They entered the armory in less than ten minutes. Tony still clutched his phone, willing it to ring, to hear Pepper on the other line, telling him that everything was fine. "Rhodey, what if we don't find her? What if something really bad happens to her?" Tony was getting anxious, the stress building up in his system was ready to explode.

"Chill, Tony. We'll get her back." Rhodey placed a hand on Tony's shoulder, willing him to calm down.

Tony took a deep breath, "Okay, I'm trying. I'm trying." He repeated. He turned to his computer, "Rhodey, we have nothing to go off of. Nothing. I can't get a signal from Pepper's phone to trace, after finding Mr. Fix's last hide-out all those months ago, he's more than likely moved, so it's no use going to his last place. I can't think, Rhodey! Everything is all jumbled, I can't think straight!"

Rhodey sighed, "I don't know man, but we've got to come up with something!" Rhodey said frantically.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?! I'm running things through my head, but everything just comes to a dead end!" Tony yelled, extremely frustrated, "The longer we wait, the worse it will be!" Tony bellowed.

Rhodey shrank away from Tony, "Hey! Man, I'm on your side! I'm trying to help Pepper! The same as you! We can't afford to turn on each other!" Rhodey yelled back, gaining some confidence.

Tony sighed, covering his face with his hands, "I know Rhodey, I'm so sorry. I'm just frustrated and worried." He whispered.

Rhodey patted his shoulder, "It'll be okay Tony, just be patient." Tony nodded and ran a hand through his hair, turning back to the computer.

Just then, his phone buzzed, looking at the number, he realized it was Pepper's. He answered the call, "Hello?!" He practically yelled into the phone, "Pepper?! Where are you?" His hands were shaking.

"Pepper is unavailable at the moment." A voice from the other end replied quietly.

"Who is this?!" Tony yelled, "Where's Pepper?!"

"Like I said, she is unavailable. Shall we get down to business, then?" The voice said, as if nothing were wrong at all. Tony said nothing.

"Hello Iron Man...This is Mr. Fix." Mr. Fix sneered through the phone.

Tony's mouth opened in surprise, had he somehow gotten it out of Pepper? How did he know? "I don't know what you're talking about." He said quietly. He heard a laugh from the other end.

"Oh Tony...If you want to save Pepper you're going to have to hand over some of the secrets to your Iron Man suit and other inventions." Mr. Fix smiled wickedly.

Tony squeezed his eyes shut, he had to. Apparently there was no other way. "Fine. Where do I meet you?" He said, determined to get Pepper back.

There was a chuckle from the other end, "It's not that easy, Tony. I want you to leave all your notes, ideas, and samples of your tech on the side steps of the city hall building. Place them under the plaque that talks about the history of our beautiful city. You have until tomorrow morning, make it before 6:00 a.m."

Tony had no chance to respond, the line went dead, leaving him with no opportunity to see a loophole in the plan. He turned to Rhodey, who had been listening intently, only hearing a couple things here and there.

"Tony, who was that?" Rhodey asked.

"That was Mr. Fix. He wants every piece of technology that I've come up with recently, and he knows that I'm Iron Man." Tony said, sounding distant.

Rhodey's mouth hung open, "He knows?! How on earth did he find out?!" Rhodey wanted to scream. This could not be happening.

"My guess is that maybe he was able to get it out of Pepper..." He winced, not wanting to bring himself to any ideas of how they were able to get that information from her.

* * *

**Oooh!! Cliff hanger! I hope you guys are in for the ride! Review please! And Merry Christmas!! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Cookiesnmilk123-I was laughing SO hard at that review, it made my day. Thanks so much for it! Thank you for the reviews! I appreciate them! I really hope everyone will like this next chapter. Let me know what you think!**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Tony stood in the armory with Rhodey, finishing up some drawings and plans. Tony had spent all night with Rhodey, gathering information and technology to leave at city hall for Mr. Fix. Tony had decided that with every single part of information or piece of technology, he would alter it just by changing a few words here or there, and removing a small, but necessary part from each piece of tech. It had taken hours, and if it weren't for Rhodey, Tony would be no where near done.

"Man, I really hope he doesn't catch on to this in time, or else we're doomed." Rhodey rubbed his eyes frantically.

Tony sighed, "No, Pepper's doomed if he catches on. I'm taking a huge risk, and I'm not sure it's such a great idea." Tony closed his eyes for a moment, willing the awful situation he was in to just go away.

"There isn't much we can do about it now, Tony." Rhodey said quietly. "You have to go, it's 5:30 a.m."

Tony's nerves were flying through the roof. "This is getting too close to home, Rhodey. My enemies are making the stakes much more personal." Tony could barely bring himself to think about what would happen to Pepper if things didn't work out.

Rhodey put a hand on his shoulder, "Tony, in this case, it became personal because he found out who you really were, he knew you were friends with Pepper, and he took advantage of that."

Tony frowned, "But...why would he kidnap Pepper if he didn't know she was friends with Iron Man? If he found out that I was Iron Man _from_ Pepper, then why would he kidnap her in the first place?" Tony asked, looking to Rhodey for an answer.

Rhodey shrugged, "I don't know man, but you've got to get going. And I'd take the Iron Man backpack with you." He pointed to the corner where Tony's backpack lay.

Tony picked up his backpack, along with the bag with all his tech and information in it and headed out, "I'll be back. With Pepper." He added. Tony ran as fast as he could, reaching the street that city hall was on within twenty minutes. He turned the corner, slowing down to a brisk walk. He spotted the building down the road, glanced at his watch and picked up the pace. It was 5:50 a.m. He had only ten minutes before his time was up. 'How would Mr. Fix know I left it there?' He thought to himself. He reached the steps and climbed until he reached the grand doors. He turned to his right, heading away from the giant double doors and looking for a plaque.

He found it, the plaque stood on a thick cement block, raised 4 feet from the ground. "Where am I supposed to put all this stuff?" He asked himself, looking around the plaque for something. Finding nothing, he traced it with his fingers, feeling a slight dip below part of the plaque. He inserted his fingers and lifted it, feeling the plaque budge and scrape against the concrete until it came loose. Tony looked in and saw that the concrete base was hollow. He grabbed his bag and shoved it into the hollowed out square and placed the plaque back on top of it. Once he finished, he turned and looked around him.

"Now what?" He asked as he looked out over the city. His phone started to vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and answered.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Hello again, Iron Man..." Mr. Fix said.

"Where's Pepper? We had a deal." Tony spat.

"Oh don't worry, I'll give her location to you, along with Ms. Stane's." He added nonchalantly.

Tony was puzzled, "What? Whitney? What has she got to do with this?" He asked, his impatience rising.

"I took the liberty of taking her on a field trip along with Pepper." He said smoothly.

"Where are they?!" Tony almost screamed into the phone, frightening a nearby biker.

"Patience. I'll give each of their locations to you in approximately 30 minutes. Wait for my call." He said, and hung up.

Tony yelled at the sky in frustration, kicking over a garbage can to let out some pent up anger. Mr. Fix had, not only one, but two of his friends.

Tony hurried back to the armory, where Rhodey was waiting for him. He watched as Tony came in to the armory, looking defeated.

"What happened? Where's Pepper?" He questioned.

"He'll give me their location in about fifteen minutes." Tony said absently.

"What do you mean by 'their' location?" Rhodey asked, puzzled.

"Mr. Fix has Whitney too." Tony fumed. Rhodey's mouth hung open.

"You've got to be kidding me." He said, his jaw clenching.

Tony shook his head, "I wish I was. All we can do is wait."

Another fifteen minutes passed and Tony's phone vibrated once again, "Hello?" He asked angrily.

"Hello Tony. Did you read the plaque?" He asked casually.

"Oh why yes, I did. Since I had so much free time and no worries in the world. Of course I didn't read it. What relevance does it have?! I want my friends back!" He yelled.

"Oh Tony...if only you had read the plaque. Since you didn't, I'll be kind enough to tell you what it said. It reads, 'Our beautiful city here in New York was built on the foundation of fishermen's hard work, bringing in a major source of revenue for the city. The New York Fishermen's business is located on the eastern part of the city, less than a mile from the coast. Another wonderful monument in the history of our city is New York's Finest Ships, a shipyard that is located near the inlet of the Hudson River..." Mr. Fix trailed off.

Tony was livid. He was playing games with him. Games! He didn't have time for this! "I'll ask you one more time...where are my friends?" Tony said slowly.

Mr. Fix chuckled, "Did you listen, Tony? Those two locations are where your friends are." Tony's eyebrows shot up. The shipyard and the fisherman's warehouses? He was definitely confused.

"Tony, you destroyed a life time of work for me. I've had to regroup everything I had and try to put it all back together. All of my precious information, ruined, from our last encounter." He sneered. "Since it's going to take me another life time to regather all of that information, I'm going to take a life today. But it's up to you to decide whose it is. Whitney is located at the shipyard, and Pepper is at the Fisherman's warehouse. You have fifteen minutes before both of those buildings go up in a big ball of fire and ash. You have to choose. You don't have time for both. Even as Iron Man." He promptly hung up the phone.

Tony turned to Rhodey, wild eyed. "Rhodey, listen to me, and listen closely. We have fourteen minutes total before both of the locations that Whitney and Pepper are at blow up. He thinks I'm the only one that uses a super powered suit. You have to do this with me. We're not going to lose both, or even just one." Tony pointed to the War Machine suit, "That suit is the same one you used when we fought Fing Fang Foom. It should have enough power. Get in it, now!" Tony almost yelled at him.

Tony pressed the middle button on his backpack, which glowed and encased him in his red and gold Iron Man suit. He turned in the direction of Rhodey, who had just gotten into his battle armor. Tony brought the time up on the screen in his suit, it read 6:40 a.m. It had already been three minutes since he hung up with Mr. Fix.

"Rhodey!" He yelled through their intercom system. "I'm going to Pepper's location, you get Whitney, she'll be at the shipyard."

"All right, I'm ready." Rhodey said, they both headed for the ejection dock and shot into the early morning sky. Rhodey and Tony both headed east, breaking off to separate locations when they got closer to their individual targets.

Tony watched the numbers slowly clock down. He was going to make it, he could see the Fisherman's warehouse. He didn't even look for a door, he burst through the ceiling, looking for red hair and a pink top. He couldn't see her, although, there were tons of crates piled at least ten feet high in some places. He flew up, using his new thermal imaging to find the heat source of a living body. He spotted something in the far corner to his right. He shot over, reaching someone tied to a chair with a bag over their head.

Tony observed the person he had found, she didn't seem to be Pepper. He ripped the bag off of the person's head,

"Whitney?" He whispered, shocked. Her head lolled to the side, she was barely awake. He looked at the countdown on his screen and realized he had seven minutes left before the warehouse went up in flames. But where were the explosives? He hadn't noticed anything.

"Better safe than sorry." He told himself, picking up Whitney, chair and all, and flying back out of the hole he had made from bursting through the ceiling. Tony decided the best place to drop Whitney off would be at the hospital. He flew there as fast as his suit could take him without causing injury to Whitney. He dropped her off promptly, the nurses frightened by his sudden presence.

He kicked back into the air, wondering how he had gotten Whitney instead of Pepper. "Did I not remember correctly?" He asked himself. He watched the countdown on his screen read three and a half minutes until the building was supposed to blow. He started to go back in the direction of the warehouse when he heard a distant sound in his helmet. "Routing communication line to armor." The voice in his armor signaled.

"What in the world...?" He asked, hearing something, or someone.

"Hello?!" They yelled, "Anybody there?!" It sounded like a girl.

"Pepper?!" Tony yelled.

"Tony!! Oh my gosh. Tony, please, come get me. I'm tied to a chair in some kind of warehouse that makes boats, I don't know what's going on!" She cried.

Tony's heart broke. Three minutes, nine seconds. "Wait, Pepper, is Rhodey there yet?" He asked, willing his suit to fly faster, maybe going as far as the hospital was a bad idea.

"Rhodey? No. He's not here, why, is he supposed to be?!" She almost screamed, she was starting to hyperventilate.

"Pepper, I'm on my way!" Tony yelled.

"Tony, there's a timer, or clock countdown or something...it says there's three minutes left." Pepper said quietly, "What does that mean, Tony?" She asked, fear rising in her voice.

"You'll be okay Pep, I promise." Tony said adamantly. 'Rhodey, where are you?!' He yelled in his mind. He picked up his speed, going as fast as he possibly could toward the shipyard. He had to make it in time. He watched the numbers count down, feeling as though they were going faster than usual.

"Pepper, can you still hear me?" Panic rose in Tony's voice when he didn't hear a direct response.

"Yes, yes, I'm still here. Tony, I'm scared, I'm so sorry, I don't remember exactly what happened."

Tony closed his eyes for a moment, "Pepper, everything will be fine. I'm coming, I'm coming! You're going to be okay!" He told her, willing himself to be as positive as he sounded.

"Tony, I'm not sure what's going to happen when this clock hits zero, and I don't really want to know, but if it's something really bad, then you should know...that I-" The line cut. Pepper was gone.

"Pepper?!" Tony yelled, "PEPPER?!" No response. He flew faster, a minute and twenty-two seconds went by, signaling that time was up. Finally getting to the site, the explosion went off, the aftershock pushing him backward, through the air. He noticed off to his left, far in the distance, he could see a plume of smoke rise through the air where the Fisherman's warehouse was. Tony landed on the ground, shock and despair overwhelming him. Pepper. Pepper...

"RHODEY?!" He yelled, anger lacing his voice. 'Why had Rhodey not been able to get to Pepper in time?' He thought harshly, this was his fault. 'No. Don't think that. This is Mr. Fix's fault. Maybe something happened to Rhodey.' He berated himself. He went on a search, his movements almost dreamlike.

"How could this have happened?" He asked himself, he could feel a lump in his throat, his eyes stinging. "Why?" He asked himself. "I don't understand!" He yelled, punching a wall of a building to his right. He sank to his knees. He looked down the alley he was facing, watching the building turn to ash in front of his eyes. It was only a couple hundred yards away, he could go in, find the remains...No. He didn't want to remember her that way. Not Pepper.

"Oooohh..." Came a groan from a side alley, one that was blocked off for construction. Tony was back on alert. Someone was over there. He walked over, peering into the area to find Rhodey in what was left of the War Machine suit.

"Rhodey!" He yelled. He ran over to his friend, assessing the situation. He was badly beaten, at least a couple of broken ribs, a split lip, probably a broken arm. He was slowly coming to, his groaning and coughing becoming more and more frequent.

"Tony?" He asked slowly.

Tony nodded, "Yeah, yeah it's me, Rhodey. What happened?" He knelt down next to his friend. It would probably be easier to handle him if he weren't in the Iron Man suit, but there wasn't much he was able to do about that now. He carefully picked up his friend, taking him to the same hospital that he had taken Whitney to. Tony had left the broken and mangled suit back at the alleyway, reminding himself to go back later and get it.

After dropping Rhodey off at the hospital, he flew back to the armory as fast as he could. Once he knew no one was watching, he took off the suit, strapping it on in backpack form and heading back out to the hospital. He had to get to Rhodey and figure out what had happened.

* * *

"Hey! Let me through! I'm his friend!" Tony yelled at a nurse, pushing his way through them, he entered his friend's room at the hospital, finding him propped up on a pillow. "Rhodey! I came as quickly as I could." He said, faking surprise and shock to his friend's cuts and bruises. The nurses sighed and walked out of the room once they had gotten Rhodey's approval of Tony being there.

"Tony...Please, tell me you were able to get Pepper, because Whitney...Tony, I couldn't save Whitney." Rhodey whispered, tears brimming in his eyes.

Tony's lip quivered as he sat down in a chair closest to Rhodey's bed. "Rhodey, when I got to the Fisherman's warehouse, it wasn't Pepper. It was Whitney."

Rhodey's mouth hung slack, "He switched up the locations? Then that means..." He couldn't bring himself to say it.

Tears fell freely down his cheeks. "When I realized that you hadn't gotten Pepper out, I went as fast as I could. I didn't make it Rhodey, I was so close! I could hear her, she was there, somehow, she was able to talk to me. She was so afraid, and I couldn't get there in time." He sobbed, his breath coming in short hitches. "Rhodey, I failed her. I failed us. I failed me." He could barely contain his anger, his heart was torn. The sadness was overwhelming him. Tony paused for a moment, trying to regain his strength.

"Rhodey, what happened? How were you not able to get there in time?" He asked, pleading him to come up with a good reason for all his cuts and bruises and broken bones.

"I was attacked," He sounded hoarse, "by Whiplash." He said simply. "You've never taught me how to really fight in that armor, I mean, I did it back at Fing Fang Foom, but I had more time, and I wasn't as flustered as I was today...He tore me apart. I tried, I tried so hard to fight back, and I did. I got him a couple of times here and there, but somehow...somehow he was able to get through all that armor. I thought I was going to die." He shook his head, "I just can't believe that Pepper's gone." He whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks. His shoulders sagged as he gave up on trying to keep the sobs from coming out.

Tony grasped Rhodey's shoulder, his head bowed, eyes closed, they both cried together.

* * *

**You're all hating me now! I can feel it! Please don't kill me!!! I'll put up the next chapter when I have time, I promise! Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so...I know some of you are upset with the last chapter- *cough* Cookiesnmilk123 ;) - I PROMISE you'll like this one better!! The only thing I took from the Dark Knight was the "different locations that get blown up, you only get to save one person" idea. The rest of it takes a different course of action. But I am SO glad you're following the story! Keep reading!**

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**Chapter Five**

Less than a day later, Rhodey was back home. Tony and him sat in the armory, not doing much. Rhodey's arm was in a sling, and he was on heavy pain killers for his cracked ribs. Tony and Rhodey had come up with a believable story for the doctors, telling them that Rhodey had had a history paper to write about how the city came about, and took an alleyway for a shortcut to get to the city hall building. But before he could get there he had been cornered by three guys, and when he told them he didn't have money to give them, they beat him unconscious. The doctors didn't even seem surprised, apparently they got a few beaten victims every now and then.

Tony glanced up at Rhodey, assessing his injuries, his split lip had been stitched back together, that one side of his mouth was swollen and his black eye was slowly going away.

"Rhodey, I'm so sorry..." Was all Tony could say at the moment.

"For what? That I look awful? Why are you worrying about me? We just lost a friend. Because of me, I couldn't get there in time, and now Pepper's gone." Rhodey said hoarsely.

Tony winced at Pepper's name, "No Rhodey, you had no idea Whiplash was waiting for you. It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself." Tears threatened to spill over. "I just can't believe she's gone." Tony stood from his chair, gears turning in his head.

"Rhodey, tell me everything you remember." Tony said, turning to his friend.

Rhodey shrugged, "Uh...well, I was flying toward the shipyard, and something grabbed my left leg, yanking me to the ground. I'm pretty sure it was one of the whips that Whiplash uses. I hit the ground pretty hard, and then he started beating me to a pulp."

Tony grimaced, "You don't remember anything else? _Anything_, Rhodey." Tony pleaded.

Rhodey thought hard for a minute, "Oh! After he left me there, I was going in and out of consciousness, but I could see Whiplash running in the direction of the shipyard. I remember thinking that was kind of weird, I thought he would have just left, or stayed to watch the building blow up. But he ran as fast as he could toward the shipyard. I don't know why..." Rhodey trailed off.

Tony gazed at a TV on the wall, he flipped it on, and turned it to the news station. "There must be some kind of report on the buildings." Tony said to himself, listening intently.

"Welcome to Fox news at nine in the morning, we are reporting from the shipyard where there seems to have been an explosion yesterday morning. After they successfully put out the flames, police and dogs have been scouring the area. They have said that they suspect arson, and luckily, they have found no remains. It seems that no one was injured or killed in this deadly explosion. As well at the Fisherman's warehouse, it seems that the police are suspecting arson there too-" Tony muted the TV.

"Rhodey....they found no remains. No remains!" Tony's face lit up immediately.

Rhodey shook his head, "Tony, please don't get your hopes up. I don't want you to come crashing back down again. What if they just haven't looked somewhere? Or they missed something?" Rhodey shrugged.

Tony pursed his lips and clicked a button for the sound to come back on, "...and the search for a missing teenager, Pepper Potts is still underway. Her father says that she was abducted from their home late Wednesday night. Police are frantically trying to find leads, but they haven't come up with any thus far..." Tony turned off the TV this time, not bearing to hear anymore.

Tony went to his computer, looking up his armor's data on yesterday's activities. It had recorded everything, his conversation with Pepper, his flight times, impacts to the armor. "The conversation with Pepper..." He whispered to himself, turning to Rhodey.

"Rhodey, something weird happened to me yesterday too, when I was talking to Pepper, the communication cut, and I thought it was because the building exploded, but it didn't blow up until a minute later. Why would it cut if there wasn't anything to interfere with it until the explosion?" He asked, willing an answer from Rhodey.

"I don't know man. I don't know." He said, taking a deep breath, "But all I do know, is that Pepper was in there, and I doubt she was able to get out by herself." Rhodey said quietly.

Tony frowned, "Get out by herself...Whiplash! Rhodey, Whiplash was running toward the building! Maybe my computer has the data from your suit too." His fingers typed furiously on the keyboard.

"Partial information acquired." The computer stated. Tony read the data, watched what Rhodey saw. He could see Whiplash running in the direction of the shipyard and the countdown on the side of the screen that told Rhodey how long he had before the building would explode. It read: 3 minutes, 39 seconds...

"Rhodey, Whiplash would have had enough time to get Pepper out of the building, when he got there he was the one that cut her communication to me." Tony wheeled around to face Rhodey, who had his face in his hand.

"Tony, we don't know that. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be pessimistic, but this is really far fetched." Rhodey said sadly.

"It's not though! Rhodey, why would Whiplash run toward the building? Why would the communication line between me and Pepper cut a whole minute and couple seconds before the building went up in flames? This is the only thing that explains that!" Tony went back to the computer, ignoring Rhodey's protests.

He brought up the data from his armor, clicking 'Play' to listen to the conversation between him and Pepper. He skipped through it until he reached the last bit, he could hear Pepper talking, "Tony, I'm not sure what's going to happen when this clock hits zero, and I don't really want to know, but if it's something really bad, then you should know...that I-" Tears sprang to his eyes, "What was she going to tell me?" He asked himself quietly. He rewound it again, "then you should know...that I-" He turned up the volume louder, almost as loud as it could go, listening for anything out of the ordinary. He could hear something, he rewound it and played it again. He could hear what sounded like a muffled surprised squeak, something Pepper did occasionally when she was either excited or...not expecting something. Tony turned up the volume even louder, hearing what he thought was background static was actually something different. "Shh..." Something hissed, some rustling and clinking, and then the transmission cut out.

Tony turned to Rhodey, "Okay, maybe you might have me just a little bit convinced now, Tony, but how did he get her out of the building without you seeing them?" Rhodey asked.

Tony's eyebrows knit together, "There must have been a door on the other side of the building. One that I couldn't see." Tony couldn't help but smile, "Rhodey, Pepper has to be alive. She has to be, and I'm not going to stop until I find her."

Rhodey smiled slightly, wincing when it pulled at his stitches, "I'll help the best I can." He offered.

Tony nodded, "Thanks Rhodey. I really appreciate it."

Tony reached for his phone, feeling it vibrating, he looked at the screen, "Restricted Number." It read. Tony frowned and answered the phone, "Hello?" He asked.

"Hello Iron Man..." Mr Fix said casually.

Tony rolled his eyes, 'Of course it was him.' "What do you want?" He asked, "I already gave you the stuff you asked for." He spat.

"Ah yes...but once I had it, I tested it. And do you know what I found, Tony? You altered it. It won't work without some crucial pieces that you kept to yourself. Now, I know you've probably been watching the news, and maybe figured some things out by now. Pepper wasn't in the building when it exploded, I'll give you that much, and...she's with me. So unless you give me what I want, she's not going to be around much longer, and I'll make it as painful as possible. It's up to you to find me." Tony started to protest, except that Mr. Fix had already hung up.

Tony yelled at his phone, throwing it to the ground. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. "Mr. Fix has her, Rhodey. At least she's alive, but she's not going to be unless we find her."

"Well...did he say anything about where we could find her?" Rhodey asked hopefully.

Tony shook his head, "No, but I think I might be able to narrow it down a bit." He went to his computer, bringing up a map of the city. "Okay, we can rule out his last hideout, and I'm going to assume that he's close enough to both the Shipyard and the Fisherman's warehouse since Whiplash carried Pepper from the Shipyard back to where ever his hideout is._ And_ Whiplash carried Pepper from her house to their hideout...Wait! The witnesses that saw those glowing strand-like things the night Pepper was kidnapped, they told the police their locations, I can find out which direction Whiplash was coming from!" Tony was practically talking to himself, and Rhodey was having a hard time keeping up.

"Wait, wait, you're just going to guess?" Rhodey asked, "What if it's wrong?"

"Rhodey, it's better than nothing, and I'm pretty confident in my thinking. I found out that Pepper was alive before Mr. Fix even called to tell me that, I'm pretty sure I can figure this out." Tony said, waving his hand at Rhodey dismissively.

"All right, what ever you say." Rhodey said, a little unsure of Tony.

"Okay, so he was heading southeast, going in the direction of Pepper's house, and he had to head to the west when he left the shipyard with Pepper..." he drew a line heading west until it intersected with the line going south east. "It has to be in this area." He circled the area and zoomed in on it. It was an area with a lot of foreclosed houses, a gang infested area. And...

"What's this?" Tony asked, zooming in even further. He saw a familiar logo on top of what looked like a warehouse. 'Stark Industries', it read. "The last possible place that I would have looked. A warehouse that we don't even use anymore." He whispered.

"Rhodey, I know where they are." Tony turned to look at his surprised friend.

"And what if you're wrong?" Rhodey asked.

"Well, we'll just have to see then." Was all Tony said before suiting up.

* * *

**Ta da!! No Two-Face required! Hahaha I hope you're all enjoying it! One more chapter to go!**


	6. Chapter 6

**All righty then!! On with the story! Last chapter :D It's quite a bit longer than any of my other chapters, but it's probably also the best! Maybe that's just my opinion. Anyway-read on!**

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**Chapter Six**

Pepper woke, her eyelids heavy, she could barely keep them open for more than a second, so she decided that listening may be a better plan. Her ears perked at the low talking from another room. She could barely move her head, either. 'What did they hit me with? A ton of bricks?' She thought. She tried to move her hands, but found them tied together, even her feet seemed to be tied to the legs of the chair she was sitting on. A cold, hard metal chair, as a matter of fact. Her body ached, her head felt like it could explode, and she had an itch. The door opened, slamming against the wall. Pepper winced at the loud noise, the boom of the door echoing through her mind.

"Well, well, the girl is awake." Someone chuckled, Pepper once again tried to lift her head to see who was speaking, but it just felt too heavy.

"Why won't you look at me when I'm speaking to you?" They asked, she still wasn't sure who it was, Mr. Fix? Maybe.

"I...can't..." She whispered so softly that the man before her could barely hear a word she said.

"Look at me!" He yelled, roughly grabbing her chin and forcing her head up to look at him. It _was_ Mr. Fix. She squinted through the glow of computer screens and stared into his face.

"Do you think your friend Tony Stark is smart enough to find this place?" He asked quietly.

Pepper nodded, "He'll find you." She tried to sound menacing, but she sounded more scared than what she wanted.

Mr. Fix stared at her for a moment, let go of her chin, and smacked her across the face. Pepper let out a small gasp, tears springing to her eyes.

"Were you able to speak to him with that communication device that I provided for you?" He asked, "I was kind enough to have given that to you." He said sarcastically.

Pepper nodded her head slightly, "Yes." Was all she could muster.

"I was hoping that he would be able to pick up that signal and speak with you, just to torment him. I wish I could have seen his reaction when he realized he hadn't made it in time. I hope I'll get to see that reaction now. Although, I don't think he'll find us. It's the last place he would check, really. One of his very own weapon facilities. One that is outdated and no longer used, but owned by none other than Tony Stark himself." Mr. Fix paused, "You know, the only reason I sent Whiplash to get you from the building before it exploded was so that I could use you to get the rest of the technology that Tony left out, but now I see that it was a mistake. I should have left you there to burn." Mr. Fix spat.

"And Iron Man cheated! He used his friend Rhodey to help him. How would I know he had two suits? One for him and one for his friend. Although, if I hadn't sent Whiplash to retrieve you from the building, you would be alive anyway. Rhodey surely would have made it in time." Mr. Fix stood, staring at an unresponsive Pepper.

"No matter, we'll take care of that soon anyway." Mr. Fix said casually.

Pepper squeezed her eyes shut, she knew that pain was coming, it was only a matter of time before she would be gone. She would never see Tony or Rhodey or her father ever again. Silent tears poured down her cheeks, her lips quivering. 'Don't cry, don't cry. He'll only see it as a weakness.' She told herself over and over.

Mr. Fix was about to strike her again when he heard Whiplash, "Sir! It's Iron Man!" He hissed from the other room.

Mr. Fix paused, arm poised in the air. He lowered it, walking briskly to the other room. "The direction he's heading is toward this warehouse exactly. He knows." Whiplash said.

Mr. Fix thought for a second, "Meet him outside and take care of him." He turned on his heel and headed back to the other room.

"Now, where were we?" Mr. Fix asked, a rhetorical question. Pepper sniffed and pursed her lips. She could do this, she could get through this.

He was about to strike her again when he stopped, "Oh, and, if you ever see your friend Rhodey again, which I doubt, tell him thank you, for letting slip that Tony Stark was Iron Man. It really helped me out." He snickered. She felt him hit her chair, toppling it over onto the left side. She swore she heard something crack, her chest hurting immediately after. Had he kicked her? She could barely think, her head had hit the concrete floor quite hard when she was knocked over. Her vision became blurry, her body sagging.

Mr. Fix grabbed part of the chair and lifted her to an upright position. "How...did you...find out?" Pepper gasped.

"I hacked into a private video feed from your school. I heard the whole conversation." Mr. Fix laughed maliciously, he rubbed his hands together. "Well, I'll just let you sit there and take in that information while I watch Whiplash tear your friend apart." He flipped a couple switches and clicked a few buttons, finally finding Whiplash and Iron Man.

* * *

Tony landed at the front of the building, having already spotted Whiplash. "Oh, why hello. It's Whippo again. How's it going?" He asked casually, trying to hide his fear for Pepper. "Or was it Whip It Good? I never remember names, I'm not good at that stuff." Trying to crack a joke.

Whiplash hissed menacingly, "I'll whip you until you're in tiny pieces, Iron Man. Don't test me."

"Huh...I see. Well, I'm here to rescue someone, so if you'd like to move aside, that would be great." Tony said, trying to ease the tension, but knowing that Whiplash wouldn't let him get anywhere without a fight.

Whiplash laughed, "That's what I'm here to keep you from doing." One of his whips lashed out toward Iron Man, causing Tony to jump as high as he could, but his whip caught his left foot, yanking him down to the ground. Tony groaned and got up hastily, building up energy into the chest area of his suit and aiming it at Whiplash. Releasing the energy toward him, Whiplash barely had time to react, half of his body getting caught in the blast. He was thrown back, his body made a sickening sound as it impacted the brick wall of the warehouse.

"Ouch." Was all Tony said, walking toward Whiplash slowly, who was gasping on the ground. Tony sighed, "You know, you could just give up." He said nonchalantly.

"Never." Whiplash countered, flinging one of his whips at Tony, electrocuting him. Extra energy ran through Tony's suit. 'Maybe I could harness this energy and counter it back to him.' He thought, trying to ignore the pain of the electric currents running through his body as well as the armor. He instructed the suit to reverse the energy intake, and aiming it at Whiplash, he let it loose.

The blast hit Whiplash in the chest, the energy that his whips used reversed and dissolved his weapons, the acid-like energy raving over the metallic body of Whiplash. "AAHHH!!" A high pitched terrible scream came from Whiplash, drowning out everything else. Tony cringed, he couldn't watch. Whiplash literally dissolved right before Tony's eyes, his screams echoing off nearby buildings.

Mr. Fix sat in surprise and fear. Iron Man had just defeated his only safeguard. He watched the screen as Tony punched his way through a wall, announcing his presence within the building. Mr. Fix could hear it simultaneously down the hall. He was doomed, unless...He glanced at Pepper and made his way over to her.

* * *

Tony entered the building "Iron Man Style" by punching through a wall. "Mr. Fix! Where are you?!" He yelled, his anger was getting on a serious edge, any longer and he wouldn't be able to control it. He entered a dark room lit only by the glow of computer screens.

"Why hello, Iron Man." Tony turned in the direction of the sound, he spotted Mr. Fix, holding a broken and bruised Pepper in a head lock, an arm around her throat, and in his other hand, holding a gun raised to her temple. "If you come any closer, I will shoot her."

Tony frowned, 'Using a gun? Well that's different. Normally enemies have some new weaponry to use.' He thought. He stood his ground. He had come this far, he was not going to mess it up and get Pepper killed.

He stood, unmoving. "I know what you want, if you let her go, I'll tell you all of the information that I left out."

Mr. Fix stood emotionless, "I'm not so sure about that. You won't keep your word."

Tony clenched his jaw in frustration. "Just give her to me."

Mr. Fix shook his head, "Not until you give me the information." He stated.

"Tony, please." Pepper pleaded, fear in her eyes.

Tony nodded, "Where did you put the bag with the stuff I gave you?" Tony asked.

Mr. Fix moved hesitantly, moving Pepper along with him, his left foot faltered, giving Tony all the time he needed. Mr. Fix's arms flailed, trying to regain his balance. Tony shot forward and grabbed Pepper from him, scooping her up into his arms. He flew down the hallway and out the hole he had made in the wall.

Tony opened his faceplate, "Pepper. Oh Pepper, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Tony cradled her against him, and couldn't think of anything else to say. He hovered over the warehouse. Before Pepper could say anything they heard a gunshot. The bullet whizzed through the air, passing by Tony's head within a couple of inches. Gathering by how high up Tony had flown, Mr. Fix must have souped up the gun in some way in order to be that accurate in almost killing him. Tony had almost forgotten about Mr. Fix in his haste to get Pepper.

Tony could see Mr. Fix on the ground, standing right outside the makeshift hole Tony had made. Tony aimed a missile at the warehouse, intending not to hurt Mr. Fix, but destroy his illegal operations, what he didn't know, was the left over and long forgotten weapons stored in the warehouse. Out of date weapons and unused chemicals. Tony fired the missile, the entire building going up in a giant ball of flames. Tony barely had time to react, the force of the explosion sent debris flying everywhere. Tony turned away from the building, shielding Pepper from shards of metal and pieces of brick flinging through the air. He regained his balance, looking in the direction of the building. Anything within at least twenty-five feet of the building was incinerated. Mr. Fix didn't survive that one.

"Tony....is he? Is he gone?" Pepper asked quietly, her arms around his neck, her eyes were shut tightly.

Tony turned away from the fire and headed toward the armory where Rhodey would be waiting for them. "Yes, he's gone, Pepper." He looked at her with concern.

Pepper leaned against him, finally feeling safe for the first time in two and a half days. "Thank you, Tony." She whispered.

Tony nodded, "Pepper, I would go anywhere in the world, even to another planet, to save you. You don't need to worry anymore."

Pepper sniffed, "Thank you." She said again, tears made tracks down her cheeks and she buried her head in the crook of his neck.

They made it back to the armory in about ten minutes. Tony let Pepper down just before they went in to the armory. He pressed a button on his suit and it quickly removed itself from Tony and gathered into its backpack form, dropping it to the ground. Tony turned to Pepper and brought her to him, hugging her tightly.

Pepper smiled for what felt like the first time in a week and hugged him back. They stayed like that for a minute, neither of them wanting to let go. "I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't made it in time." Tony whispered hoarsely, "Pepper, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that, I'll never let anything like that happen ever again."

Pepper nodded her head, taking comfort in his words, for once, she couldn't think of anything to say. Tony pushed her away from him gently, his hands on her shoulders. He examined her, looking for any injuries that she might have sustained. He grabbed her hands, angered to see welts, small cuts, and rope burn from where her wrists had been tied and retied, along with what looked like electrical burns. He grimaced, bringing both her hands closer to his face, he kissed them gently. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

Pepper shivered, and not because it was cold. She had _never _seen Tony like this. This was a new side of him she had never witnessed before. "It's okay, I'm sure they'll heal quickly." She said quietly, barely above a whisper. She looked up at him and gave a small smile, wincing when it pulled at her bruised cheekbone, where Mr. Fix had hit her.

Tony frowned, just noticing a slight bruise forming on her left cheek. He traced it tenderly with his finger, leaning toward her, he gently kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry." He said again as he pulled away.

Pepper could feel the heat rising in her face, 'Did Tony just kiss my cheek? Am I dreaming? It's now or never, Pepper.' She thought to herself. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, "Tony, I've been meaning to tell you, I meant to tell you when I was in the shipyard when we were talking, and I've been meaning to tell you for awhile, but I just couldn't figure out the right time, or the right place, and I didn't want it to be totally awkward and I-" She was cut off when Tony's lips met hers. Her eyes widened for a moment and then closed gradually. Her arms snaked their way around his neck, his hands on her hips. They finally pulled apart, the kiss was sweet, tender, and passionate. Everything Pepper could have hoped for.

"Fewer words, Pepper." Tony whispered, laughing slightly.

Pepper blushed, "Sorry, I guess you got the idea though." She bit her lip in embarrassment.

Tony grabbed her hand and led her into the armory. Rhodey was waiting for them, just as he had promised. Slowly getting up from his chair and giving Pepper a hug, groaning when she hugged him too tightly, his ribs screaming in protest. "Okay, I need to sit back down." Rhodey whined, finding a chair and slowly sitting down.

"Oh no! What happened, Rhodey?" Pepper asked, concerned.

"It's a long story, Pepper, and not one we really want to relive at the moment. We're just glad you're alive." Rhodey wheezed.

* * *

A few days later, Pepper and Tony sat in class, Pepper had finally convinced her dad Sunday night that she was perfectly fine, aside from the bruised ribs, cheek, and wrists, and that she was perfectly able to go to school the next morning. It would do her good to get her mind off of things. He dad had reluctantly complied with her wish.

Pepper's eyes were drooping and she was hardly paying attention. Math class equaled boredom to Pepper. Tony nudged her slightly, "Hey, don't fall asleep." He warned.

Pepper snorted, "It's more day dreaming than sleeping."

"What are you day dreaming about then?" Tony asked, curious.

Pepper's mouth dropped open, "Well....nothing." She ended with.

"Really? Because it sounds to me like you were actually thinking about something, and I so rudely interrupted you." Tony teased.

Pepper rubbed the back of her neck nervously. It definitely wasn't the time for this conversation. She had, in fact, been day dreaming about the moment between her and Tony...the oh so amazing kiss...she could feel herself disappearing into day dream land again, and reverted back to her conversation with Tony.

"I'll tell you about it later..." She trailed off, hoping he would forget.

After math was over they parted ways, Pepper heading to her history class, while Tony went to his science class. They met on the roof afterwards for their free period. Pepper stood at the far end of the roof, looking out over the city. She could see the direction of the shipyard near the bay, and vowed she would never go there again for as long as she lived. She rubbed her arms, a slight chill in the air. She could feel a presence slowly coming up behind her.

Arms came around her, "You feeling all right, Pepper?" Tony asked.

"Yes, just thinking, that's all." She said, crossing her fingers, hoping he wouldn't ask her what she had been day dreaming about.

"I had a couple of questions for you. It's about, well...about when you were kidnapped." Tony stuttered, "How did he find out that I was Iron Man?" Tony asked, "Because, I can't imagine what he must have done to you to find that out." Tony's voice was soft.

"Oh, well...he didn't do anything to get that information from me. He didn't even get it from _me_. He said he got it from our school's private security camera. He could hear Rhodey talking." She trailed off hesitantly, "I guess we need to be more careful." She sighed. "Ooh! I could come up with a bunch of code names!" She exclaimed.

Tony laughed, stepping beside her and gazing at her carefully. The bruising on the side of her face was slowly going away, but it was still noticeable. Her wrists were still swollen, along with her ankles and calves. She had also suffered a slight concussion and had bruised ribs. He couldn't think about all her injuries without cringing.

"What? Something on my face?" She asked self-consciously, her hand automatically coming up to her bruised cheek.

Tony grabbed her hand, "No, no...I was just thinking about everything you went through. I'm sorry." He said for about the eighteenth time.

"Tony, really, you don't have to say you're sorry. We've already gone over this. You saved me, that's all that matters." She said firmly.

"All right, all right. Second question. Did he mention anything about Whitney?" Tony asked.

Pepper frowned, "No, he didn't. Wait, why?" She asked.

Tony's mouth opened and closed, thinking. "Oh, I guess you didn't hear. Mr. Fix kidnapped her too, and he told us the opposite locations. I had chosen to get you...but it was really Whitney. I still don't understand why he kidnapped both of you." He said quietly.

Pepper thought for a moment, "I'm not sure. Maybe just to make things more complicated for you. Maybe he asked her father for ransom money and we just didn't hear about it. I really don't know."

Tony looked at her for a moment, "I'm glad you're all right, Pepper."

Pepper smiled kindly, "Thanks Tony, that means a lot to me." She stepped closer to Tony, smiling. "Is Whitney all right?" She asked as an afterthought.

"Oh, ya, she's doing fine. I dropped her off at the hospital, she was barely conscious when I took her there. She doesn't remember anything." Tony said, shrugging his shoulders.

Pepper snorted, "That's probably a good thing, considering what I remember." She recovered quickly, "But everything is okay now. I don't need to worry, since I've got Iron Man on my side." She grinned.

Tony smiled, looking down for a moment, "So...are you going to tell me what you were day dreaming about?" Tony asked, changing the subject.

Oh snap. Well, there went Pepper's hope for the day.

Butterflies made their presence known in Pepper's stomach, her nerves rising. "Uh, well...to tell you the truth, it was about what happened, the night you rescued me." She said quietly. "I was thinking about you and me, and where things were going and if that was just a moment and if I should just forget about it and not hope for anything, because I don't want to ruin our friendship, and we can totally stay friends if you don't want anything more, and-" Once again, Tony found that the only way to get her to stop talking was to capture her lips with his own.

They broke apart after a moment, "Pepper, what was it that I told you last time?" He laughed.

Pepper closed her eyes, leaning against his chest, his arms wrapping around her, she responded by not answering his question, "Mmm...if I kept talking, and talking, and talking, would you do that every time?" She asked, feigning innocence. Tony laughed, she could hear it rumble through his chest.

"I think that could be a possibility." Tony smiled, Pepper laughed.

* * *

**Ooooh!! Precious! :D I hope everyone enjoyed the story! Let me know what you think of it by pressing that gray and green button, thanks!**


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